Tag: music

  • Of a scarf and a song

    On Thursday this week the new choir met as usual. Being so close to Christmas, with all its activities and dinners, there were only a few of us, but more than one is still an opportunity to sing together so we met. When I arrived at the usual venue the alarm kept going off and…

  • Christmas 2023

    Christmas 2023

    It is time for the blog to take its annual rest for the Christmas celebrations, and this will be the last one for a few weeks. Thank you all for taking time to read, write and comment over the last year. Your support has been tremendous and I have loved discovering a different rhythm to…

  • Workshops for summer 2024

    Over the next few months – after the Christmas and New Year break – the Southern Hemisphere summer really gets into its swing with workshops. Over the next few months there are lots of events and activities in Aotearoa New Zealand. Here are a few that are happening up and down the West Coast. Down…

  • This week’s Spotify playlist

    Each week a curated list of songs and sounds from Spotify is made for the blog. The pieces are chosen because they relate to something from the blog or because of current world events. This week’s list is largely about the festive season. To listen to the playlist click on the the play icon on…

  • The last choir meet for the year

    This Thursday at 6.30 is the final choir meeting-up for the year. We have had a great few weeks with lots of fun and laughter and we are looking forward to next year. If you fancy joining us for a singsong please come along on Thursday to the Left Bank Art Gallery, Greymouth. A koha…

  • This week’s Spotify playlist

    Each week a Spotify playlist is curated that references items on the blog and/ or current events. To listen to this week’s playlist you can click the play button below. If you have a paid subscription you will hear the whole playlist, uninterrupted. Those with a free subscription will have advertising every so often and…

  • Opera as African artform.

    Opera as African artform.

    A new book on how opera became African has recently been published and it promises to be a fascinating read. Opera was introduced to Cape Town in South Africa in the 19th Century and was originally the preserve of the privileged few. When democracy came to the country in 1994, people thought that opera would…

  • The choir

    A few weeks ago a new singing group started in Greymouth. This week the group started to learn a piece of music that will be familiar to many readers… and listeners: Es ist ein Ros entsprungen. The choir has been lots of fun. There plenty of laughter alongside some serious learning, and the group is…

  • This week’s Spotify playlist

    Each week a curated list of music (and sometimes sound) is made on the streaming platform: Spotify. The list goes alongside the blog, featuring audio from different artists and countries that appear in the weekly newsletter or that reflect current events. For those with a paid subscription to Spotify, you will hear the tracks in…

  • The New York Times series on young Africa

    The New York Times is running a series of articles focusing on the youth of Africa. The “youth boom” of the continent is changing both it and the wider world, altering perceptions and driving change through invention, creativity and energy. There is plenty to read in the articles including pieces about artists, designers and makers…